Help confused

[Babytweeties]

I bought this pattern but for some reason (could be my Fibromyalgia fog brain) I don’t understand what they mean in the very first row.  Can anyone help? 

[bgs]

If you purchased this pattern from the internet could you share the link so we can possibly see a picture or tell us the name of the pattern and book or magazine its from.  It helps if we know what you are trying to make.

Are there any instructions prior to row 1 as it keeps referring to main row?

[Granny Square]

Hi and welcome to the 'ville.

I'm sorry you are suffering from Fibro, but I don't think that's the issue.  This pattern is using non-standard like 'main row' - that is meaningless, unfortunately this line refers to 'main row' 3 times. 

My best guess is that 'main row' means the foundation chain, as that is the only thing that makes sense to come before row 1, and that this line also refers to working into the chain.  (does the pattern define 'main row' as something else?)

HOWEVER, if this were the case, it would have told you to make x chains for the foundation row, turn, and DC into the 4th chain from the hook - the 3 skipped chains would give you the 3 chains which act as a DC (I assume that's what the pattern meant by saying chain 3 instead of DC), and the first real DC.  

BGS has just replied as I'm typing here, I see we are thinking along the same lines--what the heck is the main row.

........I take back what I said, the main row can't be the foundation chain, because it says 'dc in dc', oops.  So the main row has to have some combination of DCs and chain spaces.  

So after a mystery 'main row', turn, chain 3, DC in the next DC, *ch 8, DC in the first chain of those 8 (so, the farthest chain from the hook, skip 2 chains in the main row and DC into the next chain of the main row [note--this is going to be a big loop, and the DC you made into the first chain of that loop will lay horizontal and span across the 2 skipped chains of the row below.]  Repeat from * 6 more times (so, a total of 7), and hopefully you have 4 DCs at the end of the main row, into each you'll put 1 DC to finish the row.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Granny Square

[Babytweeties]

I have attached another pic of the beginning of the pattern and all it says prior to row 1 is chain 82/91/100. So main row is only chains?

[Babytweeties]

Here is the picture of the cardigan 

[Granny Square]

Cute cardigan!  

My guess is that the stitch pattern in row 1 is going to be repeated in later rows,  where you really would be working into DCs and chains, not just chains, and the designer wrote the line thinking of how it would be made in later rows; this would also explain the 'turning chain' which didn't make sense for the initial foundation chain, but would in later rows.  I'd chain the number it says to for your size, plus 5 more, and then for row 1 DC in the 4th chain from the hook (would be the turning chain that counts as a DC and the first real DC of row 1) and proceed from there.  You will have a couple of extra chains as a safety net just in case, to pick out or weave in later.

Edit, in case my thought process for adding chains sounded strange...although the pattern's initial chain count is probably correct, and accounted for the first 3 chains being for turning and counting as a DC...If the designer really was thinking of subsequent rows when she was writing it, since she said 'chain 3' which wouldn't have made sense if you already chained 82, 91, or 100...it couldn't hurt to add a few chains in case there was an error, worst case I've told you to chain 5 too many which is better than having too few.

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Granny Square